From rooms to cars to bikes: How collaborative consumption took over Silicon Valley

- Oct 04, 2012 10:47 am

Skift Take

The combination of technology that makes these connections popular and users’ willingness to share with strangers puts collaborative consumption in a position to change travel and transit in multiple ways.

— Jason Clampet

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… It’s one of a flood of new startups that aim to create online and mobile social networks that let people share in the real world. There are apps that find and borrow power tools from your neighbors, that let you rent a nearby stranger’s car or hire someone close by to pick up dog food. You can go online to rent your parking spot when you’re not using it or you can find a home for your dog when you travel.

Call it the new share economy or as its known in the industry: the collaborative consumption movement. Airbnb led the way. The site, which lets people rent their homes to travelers, has booked more than 10 million nights in 192 countries since its start in 1998, and last year it generated an estimated $58 million.